Trump: Obama Campaign 'Even Meaner' Than 2008

Donald Trump is urging presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to get more aggressive against an Obama campaign that’s “even meaner” than the one he ran against Hillary Clinton in 2008 to claim the Democratic nomination for president.

“The Republicans had better be careful because what’s happening to them is the same thing that’s happening to other candidates that run against Obama,” the real estate billionaire told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren Tuesday. “It’s a very dirty campaign. And Hillary Clinton: It was one of the meanest campaigns ever run against her.”

“Well, so far, I think this one is even meaner,” Trump said.

Trump made the comments shortly after the release of an extremely negative ad by a super PAC supportive of the president that Republicans charged basically accuses Romney of facilitating the death of woman with cancer by shutting down a steel plant where her husband worked.

In the ad, the steelworker suggests that his wife was unable to get treatment after he was laid off and lost health insurance coverage when Romney’s company, Bain Capital, shut down the plant.

Trump didn’t comment directly on the ad, but he said Obama’s campaigns have always been “extremely dirty against everybody that’s ever run against him.”

He stressed that Romney and Republicans haven’t seen the worst by any means and should get “extremely aggressive” themselves in their own effort to paint Obama as a failed president.

“We’ll see what happens. But sometimes — the expression is, you have to fight fire with fire,” Trump said. “And if he doesn’t fight fire with fire, it’s going to be not so easy.”

He said the upcoming national convention, in which he indicated that he’s been asked to play “a very, very major” role, would present a great opportunity for Romney to define himself and his differences with Obama.

“There’s a lot of spirit for Mitt Romney, and I think he’s going to be really a good candidate and, really, a really good president,” added Trump.